PUD Rain Garden: It works!

 

PUD's rain garden has been getting a work out in past weeks. This is the October 31 storm. Notice the pipe that channels the excess water under the garden to the storm drain. The gravel is a pathway for water from even larger storms, which we experienced this month.

 



This is the beginning. Teresa Brooks and Brain Stahl from the Kitsap Conservation District are surveying the area for the raingarden. The rain garden will be 10% of the impervious surface area that drains to it.

 

 

This spot was chosen because water from the parking lot naturally flows toward this area as you can see by the weather worn curb.

 

Let the digging begin. This is our own Jason Thorne is running the excavator. The old bushes were removed and hauled away.  A berm was created to form a depression 18" deep.

 

A mixture of compost and sand was added. The bottom had to be perfectly leveled.

 

An overflow pipe was connected  to the existing storm drain.

 

A new curb was in order, creating an inlet for the sheeting rain from the parking lot.

 

Look at that perfectly sculptured rain garden ready for planting.

 



After the rain garden was planted, Our guys created an asphalt "speed bump" across the driveway to guide rain water into the garden.

 

Our rain garden slows down the storm water that runs off the parking lot. It absorbs and cleans water that would have rushed down the storm drain and into the Puget Sound.  



Cedars - the sequel

My friend, fiber artist Melinda West, sent me some additional pictures of yellow cedar, so I thought I would continue the thread I started yesterday with the Tale of two cedars. She also forwarded me a link to fiber arts magazine that showcases fiber art constructed from a mixture of yellow and red cedar.

This is the fallen yellow cedar from which she stripped bark on our incredibly steep hike up to Summerland.

fallen yellow cedar - Mount Rainier

Melinda exposes yellow cedar inner bark

I mentioned in my previous posting that yellow cedar occurs in mountains of the Pacific coast. It ranges from Alaska to Northern California. Some sad news is that stands of Alaska Yellow Cedar are dying from root freezing due to global warming. Even though yellow cedar thrives in mountain temperatures, they are being killed by severe cold snaps early and late in the season. This is happening because of the absence of an insulating blanket of snow due to late snow fall and early snow melt resulting from climate change.

Yellow Cedar decline in Alaska

To close this sequel to cedars, I want to share a wonderful Nootka legend about the creation of yellow cedar or Nootka Cypress:

One day the trickster Raven encountered three young women drying salmon on the beach. He asked, "Aren't you afraid to be out here alone?'  "No", the women replied.  "Aren't you afraid of bears?", he asked. "No!!"  "Wolves?" "No!!"  Only when he asked about owls did they admit that they were frightened. For a joke, The Raven hid in the forest and made  owl sounds. The women were so terrified that they ran up the mountainside. When they ran out of breath the three women turned into Nootka Cypress trees. According to the Nootka, this is why Nootka Cypress grows on the sides of mountains and explains why the bark is silky like a woman's hair and the young trunk is smooth like a woman's body.

A tale of two cedars

Did you know that western red cedar is sometimes called  "nature's umbrella"? I've heard that in some native languages, the word for red cedar means the same as "dry underneath".  Besides keeping us dry on a wet, autumn walk, western red cedar, thuja plicata, remains the cornerstone of our northwest native culture. I was recently on  a wet mountain hike with northwest fiber artist and friend, Melinda West. She introduced me to a relative of our red cedar: Cupressus nootkatenses often called yellow cedar. She shared some similarities and some differences between the two "cedars".

western red cedar

Truth be known, neither species is a true cedar, but members of the cypress family. Yellow cedar is often called Nootka cypress. Our red cedar is generally found in our moist lowland forests. Yellow cedar, also a native of west coastal regions, occurs in wet sites in mountains often close to the tree line.

The two trees have similar sprays of flat foliage handing from drooping branches. They both are tall buttressing trees with relatively shallow roots. The bark of a red cedar can be described as fibrous or ridged - the yellow cedar can be easily called shaggy.

shaggy bark of yellow cedar

Historically both trees are life trees of the indigenous people of the northwest coast. The resilient and long lasting wood of the red cedar has traditionally been fashioned into poles, canoes, lodges and baskets. The wood of the yellow cedar is also prized by native peoples for its durability. While the red cedar is used for larger uses, yellow cedar historically was  used for clothing, smaller utensils and carvings. A Tlingit legend identifies the first Killer Whale being carved from Nootka cypress.

Melinda and I came across a fallen yellow cedar across our trail. The windfall was fresh enough for her to strip bark off of the tree.

Melinda West getting to the inner bark of a yellow cedar

 She then continued to strip the piece and get to the pliable inner bark. The yellow inner bark, she explained, is why this bark was so valued for early clothing. This inner bark is often easier to access than the inner bark of the red cedar. The inner bark was worked until it was felt-like. It offered a water tight material in which to fashion soft, comfortable, long lasting clothing and blankets. Even today we can see culturally modified trees, where bark has been stripped for age old uses. Melinda still uses materials from both trees to fashion contemporary works of art. Her gallery can be seen on her web page, www.melindawest.com.

October is for pumpkins and a new water year

 October is time for pumpkins and time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors. So far this has been the sunniest, cheeriest fall in recent memory. October is also the beginning of a new year - the water year.

Sunny weather is generally good news for folks. Since Kitsap depends on rainfall to replenish our aquifers, a freaky dry stretch gives water suppliers reason to be nervous. The last decent measurable rain was July 22 at .47 inches. Since then we  have had only a smattering of sprinkles. Check out the rain data on our web page to see for yourself.

What does this mean in terms of the 2012 water year that just ended? We are, amazingly, in good shape. This is due to an average rain year up until July -over 40 inches of rain before the dry spell. We also had a couple of great water years in 2011 and 2010 where we received 50 and 52 inches respectively. Aquifer levels are holding their own!

What will the new water year bring? Cliff Mass, UW meteorologist,says the high pressure ridge holding back the rain is leaving us on Friday resulting in some wet weather.  He also says that this is an El Nino year which usually translates to a dryer, warmer winter. He hedges his bets by also saying that it may be a "wimpy" El Nino that could bring snow and rain in late winter. The people watching precipitation rates in our office aren't predicting a thing, but, since our precipitation rates correlate with our aquifer levels, you can bet KPUD will be watching the upcoming water year carefully. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, go out in the sun this week and look for some pumpkins.

Cistern at Kitsap Conservation District

 Brian Stahl from Kitsap Conservation District is hoping for rain. I stopped by the office this sunny September morning and got a tour of the Conservation District's on-site rainwater collection system. The cistern is empty at the moment and even though there isn't a cloud in the sky, Brian, is thinking about the winter rain water that will run off the building roof and fill up the 11,000 gallon tank. The water stored in the tank will flush the district building's toilets and, next summer, provide outdoor irrigation water.

11,000 gallon cistern

I immediately asked where he got such a huge tank. He told me that this rainwater collection system project started with a phone call from a small farm owner. He asked Brian if he could find a home for this good as new cistern that he couldn't use. The Conservation District offers assistance to landowners to protect natural resources, so Brian started asking around. When he got no takers, he decided to design a rainwater collection project at the office. The costs incurred fit nicely with a grant he received for rainwater collection.

filter and booster pump

This is how the project will work. The roof downspouts are all piped to a 1,500 gallon tank buried in the ground near the building. As soon as the 1,500 tank has reached its holding capacity, the rain water is pumped to the 11,000 gallon cistern.

Brian next to his electronics

 A submersible pump will send the water from the 1,500 tank to a filter.  The water will then be pumped directly to the district's irrigation system and to the building for flushing toilets. Brian is waiting for permits to connect the pipe into the building for the toilets.

Future connection to the inside toilets

 When the 1,500 gallon tank starts to drain; water from the large cistern will be gravity fed into this smaller tank to replenish the water. If the cistern becomes depleted, the toilet flushing will seamlessly revert back to well water.

If however, the huge cistern fills and overflows, the excess water will be channeled into the rain garden where the rain will make its way to the aquifer. The  rain garden has its own overflow system that has never been used.  Brian thinks this may be the year.

The rain garden closes the loop

Brian can hardly wait to watch the see-through tank gauge on the cistern fill with water. I think Brian would be glad to share his rainwater collection project with you. Contact him at the Kitsap Conservation District.

How much water to put on a new rain garden

KPUD's new Rain Garden must be kept watered until the plants are established. This could take a couple of years. This posed a question, how much water is enough? As a utility water conservation manager who is advising people to use water wisely, I needed to find out more. Marty, our hydrogeologist and I decided to approach finding out exactly how much to water scientifically and do the math.

First I had to find out how much water I was putting on the garden. I am watering with an ordinary fan type sprinkler that I got at the big box store down the road. It so happened that it's spray covers my approximately 23 square foot garden.

$9.00 sprinkler in the rain garden

 The rule of thumb is use one inch of water per week. Using a fancy sprinkler calibration system, I measured how long it took my sprinkler to water the garden this much. Homeowners can do this by doing the tuna can test.

accurate sprinkler gauge

I placed several  calibration cups through the garden. It took me a minute to figure out how this container measured only an inch, but it was pointed out by someone a little more savvy than me (Marty) that it was configured to offer a larger opening to allow the water to easily be collected.

 

calibration cups placed throughout the garden

I then turned on the sprinkler and let it run until .1 of an inch was collected. I determined that it took 20 minutes.I also determined that the sprinkler distributed pretty evenly throughout the garden. 

Marty looking at the cup measurement of .1 inch.

 Doing the math I calculated that it takes my sprinkler 3 hours and 10 minutes to get one inch to the garden!! Marty figured that multiplying the square footage of the garden by .62 gallons, It would take 328 gallons to arrive at my one inch per week.

(.62 gallons is the amount of water it takes to cover one foot of area with one inch of water.)
Alright, I decided, although letting the sprinkler run for three hours is counter-intuitive for a water conservation professional, I'll do it. Then  . . . .wait, it rained the other night. After running the sprinkler for half that time, I stopped it and got out my garden trowel.

I use a 4" garden towel to test if the soil is wet before I water

 The blade of my garden trowel is four inches. I gathered some soil from that depth.It was wet!! So, this is what I decided to do. Only run the sprinkler for 1 1/2 hours twice a week and test the soil for dampness before I water to see if it is necessary at all. Of course all bets are off if the plants are showing stress. This watering regime should keep the plants going until the winter rains take over in a month or so. I may have to continue watering another summer, but after that they will do just fine on their own.

Rain Garden Plants

Kitsap PUD has a new rain garden! I mentioned to Teresa Brooks from Kitsap Conservation District that our office needed one and it was no sooner said that done!

Teresa Brooks from Kitsap Conservation District getting ready to plant.

Rain Gardens collect rain water off of parking lots and driveways or any impervious surface. The rain garden contains a special mixture of soil that allows this water to slowly percolate into the ground rather than rush down the storm drains. Besides soil, the magic ingredient to the Rain Garden is plants.
 

Kerri Cechovic from Washington Enviroinmental Council digs right in.

Jenny Morgan, Landscape Architect from the Conservation District, designed the Garden and its plant design. She and Teresa carefully set out the 480 plants. Kerri Cechovic from the Washington Environmental Council arrived. She was soon followed by seven local volunteers to help plant.

volunteers planting the garden

The Rain Garden is designed as a depression with room for six inches of water. Planted in  this area,  are plants that like wet feet, but can tolerate completely drying out during the summer. These plants are slough sedge, small fruited bullrush, baby blue eyes and iris.

The finished rain garden

Along the outside edges are dought tolerant plants that won't need watering once established. They include rudbeckia, Nepeta Walker Low, Heuchera, Geranium Biokova and a few Spiraea Magic Carpet and some low growing Dogwoods.

Hannah, the youngest volunteer planter

 KPUD appreciates help from Teresa and Jenny from the conservation district and, especially appreciates the volunteers who came to plant  on a hot evening in September.

Teresa has a goal of 1,000 Rain Gardens in Kitsap. She even has $500 to match each homeowner's cost of building one on their property. Contact Teresa for more information.

Kitsap Schools Fly the Washington Green Schools Flag

Research has determined that 82% of what we learn comes from doing. What better place to learn to be environmentally responsible than school! That is why Washington Green Schools is such a successful program. Washington Green Schools is a non-profit that supports schools to become more sustainable, energy efficient, waste conscious and water wise. Students are engaged in making sure that their schools walk the talk.

This is the process to become a Green School.

1. Schools create a Green Team and sign up on the web page.
2. The team chooses a category for the school year from five program levels. They choose from: Energy, Healthy School buildings, Transportation, Waste and Recycling and Water.
3. The team earns points in their category. These points are attained by assessment, makings a lasting change in that category, evaluating the process and sharing what students learned with others. They follow checklists and materials found on the web page. 
4. Schools receive Green School certification and Green Schools Flag is presented to them at an assembly.

teachers display the flag!

Island School on Bainbridge Island proudly displays the Green School Flag! They are on their second level! Their first category was recycling. This year they chose water.

The students assessed their water use and learned how to conserve water. They even created a DVD called “Brush your teeth”, a drama about turning off the tap when you brush.

KPUD as a sponsor of Washington Green Schools, participated in a school wide round robin water cycle assembly at Island School. The kids followed the path of a rain drop and learned about groundwater recharge, storm water runoff and how to use safer products to protect our watersheds.

It is the mission of Washington Green Schools that every school in Washington will teach, model, and practice environmental sustainability, serving as centers for change throughout the region. We in Kitsap are on our way with eight schools taking the Green Schools challenge. Learn more about this program at the Washington Green Schools web page.

February 2, World Wetland Day

Today we have been celebrating Groundhog’s day. Did you know it is also World Wetland Day? This is the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty signed to provide a framework for international action and cooperation for the conservation of wetlands. The treaty or Convention was signed this day in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran on the Caspian Sea. The Convention’s mission is to promote conservation and wise use of all wetlands. The Convention’s members are from every part of the planet and strives to protect all types of wetlands.

This year’s focus for World Wetlands Day is “Wetlands and Tourism” and points out how responsible management of wetland can contribute to better livelihoods for people and stronger economies for nations. I love to be a “tourist” at our local wetlands. Kitsap County has an abundance of wet places.

One of my favorite places is the coastal wetland near my home. The tide flows over this marsh leaving a sparkle of salt on the pickleweed and saltgrass that grow there. My favorite freshwater marsh is at Buck Lake Nature Preserve. Cattails and rushes poke up out of the still water. A whole world of insect larvae and other swimmy creatures live in the shallow water. 

We are also lucky to have quite a few peat bogs in Kitsap.  One such bog is behind Gordon Elementary School surrounding Carpenter Lake. Amazing plants grow here. Our own carnivorous plant grow here. Sundew  grow in the layers and layers of peat moss that pile up and create the acidic peatland. A small low growing plant with tiny, sticky hairs, the Sundew traps and digest gnats and flies that dare to come near. This is a great adaptation for living in a habitat without regular nutrients from soil. Other acidic loving plants like Labrador Tea and Bog Laurel live here, too. This area is so sensitive that it is classified as a class 1 wetland. This means that walking on the squishy waterbed like bog is prohibited. Visitors must stay on the boardwalk and look over the wetland from the viewing platform. Peat bogs are found worldwide. I just learned of the International Peat Society that publishes a journal all about the wonders of bogs and peatlands.

Wetlands are not only fun to visit they serve us well in other ways, too. Wetlands help maintain the water cycle, replenish the soil and purify our water. They provide habitat for birds, animals and plants. Some of our food is even grown and raised in wetlands. In many cultures wetlands are also considered a sacred abode of supernatural beings. 

As you are waiting to learn if, groundhog, Puxatony Phil sees his shadow on February 2, think about another symbolic mammal, a muskrat, Olentangy Olga.  Ohio State’s Wetland Research Park introduced Olga as a reminder of the function and values of wetlands in North America. Muscrats, a native rodent, live in and play an important role in the wetland habitat. Celebrate World Wetland Day, tour a wetland!